Nutritional Quality of Quail Feeds Used in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Uganda: Chemical and Energy Composition

Quail production is steadily gaining importance in developing countries like Uganda, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas. However, inappropriate feeding practices such as using the same feed classes across different growth stagesor beyond the recommended growth stageshave been reported among quail farmers. This study evaluated the nutritional properties of quail diets used in urban and peri-urban areas of Uganda. Samples of three classes of quail feeds(starter, grower, and layer diets) were collected from quail farmers and poultry feed suppliers in Mukono, Kampala, and Wakiso districts. The samples were analyzed for crude protein (CP), ether extract, crude fiber (CF), ash, calcium, phosphorus, and gross energy contents and then metabolizable energy (ME) contents of the samples were calculated. The data were compared with the minimum dietary specifications recommended for quails in the tropics. Results revealed a high variation in the nutritional quality and that the diets did not conform to the recommended specifications.The average CPcontents of starter and grower diets from farmers (17% and 15.9%, respectively) and feed suppliers (15.7% and 16.8%, respectively) were far lower (P< 0.05) than the minimum specifications for low-protein diets (24% and 20%, respectively). The average ME contents for all the feed classes were also lower (P< 0.05) than the minimum specifications. The diets were characterized by high ash and CF contents (averages ranged between 17.1-20.2% for ash and 5.5-6.3% for CF). The chemical and energy values obtained were in the range reported for chicken diets (in Uganda), which points to the use of diets formulated for chickens in quail feeding. In conclusion, it is necessaryto train and sensitize quail farmers and feed suppliersabout the benefits of using quail diets with adequate protein content, preferably produced based on protein sources that attract less or no competition from humans. Future research should identify such protein sources, their nutritional properties, and their potential use in quail diets

Molecular characterisation of protist parasites in human-habituated mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), humans and livestock, from Bwindi impenetrable National Park, Uganda

Over 60 % of human emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, and there is growing evidence of the zooanthroponotic transmission of diseases from humans to livestock and wildlife species, with major implications for public health, economics, and conservation. Zooanthroponoses are of relevance to critically endangered species; amongst these is the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) of Uganda. Here, we assess the occurrence of Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Giardia, and Entamoeba infecting mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP), Uganda, using molecular methods. We also assess the occurrence of these parasites in humans and livestock species living in overlapping/adjacent geographical regions

Epidemiology and Molecular Relationships of Cryptosporidium spp. in People, Primates, and Livestock from Western Uganda

Cryptosporidium is a common gastrointestinal parasite known for its zoonotic potential. We found Cryptosporidium in 32.4% of people, 11.1% of non-human primates, and 2.2% of livestock in the region of Kibale National Park, Uganda. In people, infection rates were higher in one community than elsewhere, and fetching water from an open water source increased the probability of infection. Phylogenetic analyses identified clusters of Cryptosporidium with mixed host origins in people, primates, and livestock outside the park; however, parasites from primates inside the park were genetically divergent, suggesting a separate sylvatic transmission cycle. Infection was not associated with clinical disease in people, even in the case of co-infection with the gastrointestinal parasite Giardia duodenalis. Parasites such as Cryptosporidium may be maintained through frequent cross-species transmission in tropical settings where people, livestock, and wildlife interact frequently, but the parasite may undergo more host-specific transmission where such interactions do not occur. Persistent low-level shedding and immunity may limit the clinical effects of infection in such settings

Anthropozoonotic Giardia duodenalis genotype (assemblage) a infections in habitats of free-ranging human-habituated gorillas, Uganda

To facilitate ecotourism and research, free-ranging mountain gorillas of Uganda have been habituated to humans. Testing of fecal samples of gorillas (n = 100), people sharing gorilla habitats (n = 62), and local pre- and postweaned cattle (n = 50) having access to these habitats with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated monoclonal antibodies revealed Giardia duodenalis cysts at prevalences of 2.5, and 10%, respectively. The identification of G. duodenalis was confirmed by fluorescent in situ hybridization with 2 species-specific 18-bp oligonucleotide probes conjugated to hexachlorinated 6-carboxyfluorescein. The mean pathogen concentration was 2.5, 2.8, and 0.2 × 104 cysts/g of the gorilla, people, and cattle feces, respectively. All cyst isolates aligned with genotype (assemblage) A, as confirmed by polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of a 130-bp region near the 5′ end of the small subunit-ribosomal RNA gene. A single genotype (assemblage) A recovered from 3 genetically distant but geographically united host groups indicates anthropozoonotic transmission of G. duodenalis. A large percentage of the local community does not follow park regulations regarding the disposal of their fecal waste, as self-reported in a questionnaire. This genotype may have been introduced into gorilla populations through habituation activities and may have then been sustained in their habitats by anthropozoonotic transmission